1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to systems for enabling a networked gaming experience in an interactive environment in which one or more game console devices is/are connected with a server system through a bi-directional communications network, wherein the server system is capable of receiving uploaded data from the game console in the form of instructions for progression of a game implemented by a server-side program component, and the console device receives downloaded data from the server which reflects a next step or updated status of the game for use by a complementary program component executed in the game console, along with providing audio/visual signals for displaying the state of the game on a TV display device.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, players have been able to enjoy interactive gaming not only through use of an isolated game console located, for example, in a household and operated in conjunction with a game card or CD-ROM disk containing a game program, but also by connection to bi-directional communications networks which enable such services as downloading of new games into the game console, or interactive gaming for one or more players by means of complementary operation with a game program component executed on a server network station. In the latter case, because the game is operated in consort with a server-side executed program component, it is necessary for the user or users to be connected to the server during playing of the game, with successive uploading and downloading of data packets occurring between the server and game console, and hence the term xe2x80x9conline gamingxe2x80x9d has been used to describe such systems.
Currently, online gaming can be provided through a conventional telephone line or a high-speed communications network (such as ISDN or cable modem connections), wherein the network carries only data in the form of user instructions and updated status information between a networked game console and a game server. In such systems, it is contemplated that complementary program components are executed in tandem, simultaneously within the game console and the game server, wherein the program components must share information across the network. For example, when a user desires to execute a move or otherwise make some play in the game, data or variable information which represents the desired play (user input) is transmitted across the network and received by the game server. At this time the received data, potentially along with other similar data received from other players, are inputted as variables to the program component executed in the game server which then processes the data to update the next status of the game. Then, data reflecting the updated status of the game is transmitted from the game server through the network and received by one or more connected consoles, which utilize such data in a game console-side executed program component which issues commands to graphics and/or sound processing units, or the like, which in turn output audio and visual signals to a display device.
A simplified explanation of how sharing of data takes place between a game server 10 and a networked game console 60, over a bi-directional communications network, in accordance with a conventional technique, is shown in FIG. 3. In this example, a server-side network facility comprises one or more game servers 10 in which a server-side component of a game program is to be loaded and executed, the game server 10 being connected across a local area network (LAN) 20 through which the game server 10 is able to access various programs and interactive media content stored in peripheral storage devices (not shown) accessible through the LAN 20. In the typical case of multiple game servers 10, a router 30 for directing data to a designated computer according to an address associated with the data packet received by the router 30 is provided on the server-side facility, by which signals received from client game consoles can be properly directed through the LAN 20 to a designated game server 10.
On the client side of the system, a household facility comprises a network capable game console 60, a cable modem or network adapter device 50, and a TV display device 80 connected to the game console 60. The game console 60 loads and executes a client side component of a game program, wherein the client side program component is responsible for generation of commands for controlling sound and display processing units (not shown) which are housed in the game console 60. Although not shown, it shall be understood that multiple household facilities may establish network connections with the game server 10 simultaneously, wherein the respective game consoles 60 in each household load and execute multiple versions of the same program making up the game console-side component of the video game.
When an online game is desired to be played by a user, a network connection is established between the game server 10 and the game console 60 through the cable modem or network adapter device 50. At this time, a game console-side component of the game program is loaded into the game console 60, which may be loaded either from a storage media 70, such as a CD-ROM disk, or may be downloaded from the game server 10. A complementary server-side component of the program is run in the game server 10, in particular wherein data in the form of instructions from the user and updated status information from the game server are transferred over the network connection.
According to this conventional technique, the responsibility for audio and video outputs to the display device 80 are handled exclusively by processing units housed in the game console 60, whereas only data signals are transferred back and forth between the game server 10 and the game console 60.
Examples of other conventional systems, making use of a CATV network, have been described in a variety of sources. For example, systems for the distribution of video games are known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,247,106 to Jeffers et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,051,822 to Rhoades.
In Jeffers et al., a plurality of video games are made available, by time-division multiplexing, for downloading into a player console which selects one of the available games for loading into a game program memory. With this system, however, although an individual user can access programs from a CATV network, execution of the program and display of graphics takes place exclusively on the player console side and not through complementary operation with a program component executed on the server side.
Similarly, Rhoades relates to a distribution system which enables the downloading of video game software from a remote game storage center on a pay-per-play basis over a CATV network. However, once a given program is downloaded and resident in a game console (home computing element), execution of the game, and related audio/visual outputs therefor, are facilitated by graphics and sound generators provided locally in the game console.
Examples of multi-player interactive gaming systems in which complementary program components are operated in respective server and game terminals, with data transfer occurring across a network, are known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,830,069 to Soltesz et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,630,757 to Gagin et al.
Soltesz et al. describe a system in the context of an interactive bingo game, wherein a bingo number is automatically selected and captured on video at a server site, and the video picture is digitized and sent through a wide area network (WAN), which may comprise a CATV network, to separate PCs which then redraw the graphic and display it on a screen at a plurality of respective participation sites. Players can then enter a command from the screen site computer, signaling a bingo, which is then uploaded to the server site where verification is performed. Although this system does contemplate some limited sharing of data between server and participation sites along with sending of graphics over a network, the graphics must be received and redrawn in a PC at each participation site, and thus the display function is necessarily dictated by the graphics capability of each PC.
Gagin et al. provide a good example of a system in which a multi-player interactive game is facilitated over a robust cable network, wherein the game application software is made up of a server component and a user (or user console) component. Status information on the progress of a game is transmitted over a CATV network between the user sites and the server site, so that for example, for a game in which multiple player positions are constantly changing, status information, made up of position data in which the new locations of all the players are determined, can be sent to each user. In this system as well, however, the graphics display functions are handled solely by the user or game console component of the program, in association with the graphics ability of each game console, so that only game control information is exchanged without exchanging graphics information to each user. As representative of a system for transfer of data signals between a game server and a game console, for operation of respective program components, the disclosure of Gagin et al. shall be expressly incorporated by reference into the present disclosure.
U.K. Patent Application No. GB2120507A to Weitzel discloses an interactive video game arrangement intended for play by multiple players using telephones to interact with the video game as it is being displayed on a TV receiver which is connected to a head end facility through a CATV connection. In this instance, since a common push-button telephone is used in effect as the gaming console, the user side of the system does not store or execute any program component, but rather the entire program execution takes place by a computer in the head end facility. Further, according to this system, a pair of different network connections must be opened and operated simultaneously, namely, a connection via ordinary telephone lines and a separate CATV connection for sending of video signals. Further, the system does not permit output of graphic signals directly to a TV display from a game console, and therefore is somewhat restricted in terms of its versatility.
A main object of the invention is to provide a system and method for online gaming over a cable TV (CATV) network, wherein a client-side household facility receives both data signals and separate digitally encoded audio/visual signals, enabling the audio/video signals, which are potentially of higher resolution than the graphics capability of the game console, to be sent directly to a TV display device, whereas data signals, comprising user instructions and status information for progression of a game, are transferred between a game server and a networked game console over the same CATV network.
Alternatively, the game console is operable in a mode analogous to known interactive gaming devices, as described above, wherein video and audio signals can be generated by processing units in the game console itself and sent to a TV display device at lower resolution. The system is thus adaptable to the graphics quality attainable by the TV display device.
A further object of the invention is to provide a system in which a game console is connected with a game server over a CATV network, wherein the data signals are transferred between the game server and the game console through a cable modem or network adapter connection, and wherein audio and video signals from the game server are transmitted toga TV monitor through a signal multiplexing device.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a network capable game console containing internal graphics and sound processors therein, for transmitting audio and video signals of a given resolution quality directly from the game console to a TV display device in the event a game program is run locally from the game console, while suspending such local audio and video signals in favor of higher quality audio and video signals received from a game server over a CATV network in the event the game console has established a network connection with the game server and the TV display device is capable of displaying the higher resolution audio/visual signals.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown by way of illustrative example.